Guide to Innovation & Technology
Support Your Workforce Work-from-home productivity depends upon responsive IT support BY LISA DETWILER THE TRANSITION TO WORK-FROM-HOME operations has been remarkably successful. About 80 percent of businesses have implemented or expanded remote work strategies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a 451 Research study. Most found that employees can be just as productive working from home as in the office. Employees have risen to the occasion. In an Enterprise Strategy Group study of more than 1,000 knowledge workers, 38 percent said their productivity has increased while working from home. It’s important to remember, however, that work-from-home productivity depends upon an array of technology tools. Employees need access to collaboration platforms, corporate IT resources, cloud-based applications, and more in order to work remotely. If any of those things stop working, employees will be hard-pressed to do their jobs. Organizations should provide remote workers with the same level of IT support they would receive while in the office. Managed services programs are ideally suited to fill that need.
troubleshoot IT issues remotely. What’s more, most IT support processes are designed for traditional end-user computing models, with employees using company-owned PCs that are controlled by the IT team. Unless the company supplies laptops, remote workers will be using an array of personally-owned devices with different operating systems and applications. That makes support more difficult. Devices need to be patched and updated no matter who owns them, and patches should be applied within 72 hours after they’re released. However, a recent study conducted by AimPoint Group found that just 41 percent of enterprises meet the 72-hour standard. Almost 60 percent of survey respondents said they update endpoints only monthly or annually, with 15 percent of systems remaining unpatched after 30 days. Survey respondents are less confident in their ability to update remote PCs and laptops compared to on-premises systems. Poorly managed remote systems put the organization at significant risk of cyberattack.
The Remote Support Challenge
How Managed Services Can Help
While most organizations have some sort of IT support structure, few small to midsize businesses (SMBs) have the tools needed to
By partnering with a managed services provider (MSP), organizations can ensure that work-from-home employees get the help they need, and
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Novem b e r / Dec em b e r 2020 | DELAWARE BUSINESS
